Pain In More Than One Way
by Goten0040
Summary: Sano re-encounters someone from his past. After a fierce battle, he is left with a hole in his stomach in a fire. Megumi is the doctor and soon manages to hear his feelings. What is this new feeling Sano has? He doesn't HATE Megumi anymore! R&R! ch.2 up!
1. WHO ARE YOU!

(Disclaimed. I warn you, I've only seen a few episodes of Kenshin so don't get me down if the storyline isn't perfect. Now on with the fic!)  
  
"Do I really have to come? I mean, I feel like I'm wearing a dress," Sanosuke complained. "Oh, quit whining," Yahiko said, "You have to wear a kimono to the New Year's Festival." "I didn't want to come in the first place," Sano replied flatly. "Oh, shut up Sano. You're ruining the fun for the rest of us," Megumi said angrily. "Fine," he sighed and continued to walk behind the group in his dark blue and white kimono. Yahiko marched in front in his green and yellow kimono, followed by: Kaoru in her dazzling violet kimono with red stars, Kenshin in his blood red and white kimono, Megumi in her soft white and pink kimono.  
  
He sighed as he slowed to a stop. There was no reason for him to come. He didn't want to go and obviously wasn't needed there. Megumi turned around. "Don't even think about ditching us," she said as she grabbed the back of Sano's kimono and began dragging him onward. "Ennnnnnnnnng hey!" he said as he hopped on one foot to keep his balance. "Don't you dare try to walk out on me!" she yelled. Sano gave in and turned to walk. He sighed in boredom as they entered the festival. "HEY SANO!" he heard.  
  
It turned out that a few of his buddies had come to the festivities as well. "Oh, great," he thought, "I look like an idiot and then they show up." "Yo' Sano! Why are you dressed like that? You look like a fool!" his friend said. "Nice to see you too," he said flatly. "Sorry bro, I didn't mean it that way," he said putting his hand behind his head. Sanosuke stopped listening. He caught a glimpse of something familiar. He shook his head, said goodbye to his friend and ran to catch up with the others. Kenshin was trying to catch goldfish and failing miserably. Yahiko laughed in triumph over the samurai as he caught his fifth fish. Kaoru and Megumi laughed as the tail of a goldfish slapped Kenshin and as he looked through his broken paddle sadly.  
  
"Little luck there Kenshin?" Sano said laughing himself at the samurai's hard work, "You're tryin' too hard. Here look." Sano, with the quick turn of the wrist, caught three fish at once. Yahiko stared in disbelief. "OOOOOOOOh! Okay!" Kenshin said taking another paddle. He caught one fish and poured it down Yahiko's shirt. They laughed insanely as Yahiko jumped around yelling, "Get it out! Ahhh! I'm gonna fry you Kenshin!" "Looks more appropriate if we fry you since you ARE the one with a fish in your shirt," Sano said with a slight grin on his face. Kaoru pulled the fish out of Yahiko's shirt and threw it back in the water.  
  
Sano looked up from helping Kaoru's sisters with the goldfish. Yet again, he felt a familiar sight and yet he couldn't focus on where it was. He began to wander off in search of this familiarity. "I know him from somwhere," he thought as he continued to follow. The man's black hair blew to the side as a chilling wind blew suddenly as if to warn him of danger. He continued until the man stopped. "Why are you following me?" he asked softly. His voice caught his ears. "I know you... WHO ARE YOU!" "Oh, you do recognize me don't you?" he said. He turned around.;  
  
(eheeheheheheheheHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH! I have left you at a cliffy so you must review to get the next chapter! HEHEHEHEHEHE!  
  
P/S: I know it's short. The next chapter will be much longer.) 


	2. Foolish Kitsune

Chapter 2  
  
"Why are you following me?" he asked softly. His voice caught his ears. "I know you... WHO ARE YOU!" "Oh, you do recognize me don't you?" he said. He turned around. "C-CAPTAIN SAGARA! B-BUT THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE!" The raven- haired man stood before him with a strange look on his face, at least for one of his individual character. He had quite an ugly grin on his battle worn face. "Wha-what's the matter with you? Why are you alive anyway? It's me Sanosuke- you know me don't you? I-I was like your brother." He continued to stare evilly. "You...are a DISGRACE!" he yelled, his voice no longer sounding his own.  
  
Sanosuke felt the cold blade go through his stomach before he even heard it release from the sheath. He fell to the ground. "C-captain...why?" was all he could say. He changed from the captain's face into a man with blond hair down his back, black voids of eyes. And a hand outstretched to an abandoned hut, which he was setting on fire with his own hand. He jumped away. "DAMN YOU!" he yelled as he fell on his side in pain. He couldn't move. He vomited blood before passing into unconsciousness.  
  
-+-  
  
Megumi felt a chill on her body suddenly. "Hey, where's Sano?" she asked looking around. Kenshin looked up. "I don't know, he hasn't been here for quite a while. "That's strange," Kaoru said, "he wouldn't just leave." Megumi looked around for him. He eyes caught something. She gasped and pointed at the smoke bellowing toward the sky. They all ran towards it. "That couldn't have been started by nature! I can tell by the smell," Kenshin said aloud as he ran in the lead. They stopped at the large fire surrounding the huts. Megumi looked through the bright orange to see someone. "SANO'S IN THERE!" she yelled. Kenshin and the others looked at her. "WHAT DO WE DO?!" Yahiko and Kaoru said together. "I'll have to find some water," Kenshin said. "No then it will be too late," Megumi said and she ran towards the fire.  
  
"NO MISS MEGUMI!" Kenshin yelled as she ran through the burning flames. She screamed in pain at the burns but wasn't about to give up. Her kimono was already burning into pieces. She fell onto the ground and looked at the man in front of her. HE was surrounded in his own blood. "He was attacked," she thought. She crawled over to him, covering her mouth from the smoke. She heard the others throwing water buckets onto the fire. Megumi wrapped a piece of her kimono around her mouth and examined Sano. "Right through the gut," she thought,"brutal." She carefully put on arm of his over her shoulder and wrapped one arm around his back. "Hang on, Sano," she said quietly. She could see the others beginning to clear a path. She managed to make it out of the fire as she fell under Sano's weight. The others helped drag him away from the fire.  
  
She started splashing his burns with the water. "KENSHIN! GET SOME SORT OF TRANSPORTATION!" she yelled. "Right, he said as Kaoru accompanied him. "Yahiko, get more water," she said. He did as he was told. She poured the last of the water she had on his wound. She pulled a small kit out of her bag that she dropped to the side before going to get him. She pulled out some iodine and bandages. She poured the iodine on his wound and burns. She carefully pulled his tattered kimono jacket off his limp body. After bandaging him she tried CPR to get the smoke out of his lungs. Sweat poured down her face. Yahiko showed up with more water that she used to pour on his hair to keep the ash out. "Sanosuke, can you hear me? Speak to me Sano," she said softly. He coughed a bit proving he was still alive.  
  
Kenshin and Kaoru rode up in a wagon and horses. "Let's take him back to the dojo," Megumi said putting her supplies away. He was breathing hard trying to get oxygen back in his lungs. The wagon moved at a slow pace down the dirt road as Kenshin steered as well as keeping an eye on Sano. Kaoru helped Megumi as much as she could while Yahiko rode up front with Kenshin. "We will be there soon," he said quietly. Sano had slipped into a conscious sleep now. He'd lost a lot of blood and most of his energy along with it. They finally made it back to the dojo. After placing Sano in a room, the others went to have tea. "Are you coming Megumi?" Kaoru asked. "I think I can clean his burns a little more. I'll catch up," she said as she worked on his burns, "This way they shouldn't leave scars." "Okay," Kaoru said and went to join the others.  
  
Megumi finished with Sano's burns and sat back a moment, watching his chest move as he breathed hushed breaths. She brushed some hair out of his face as she pulled the scarf out of his hair. He opened his dark brown eyes at the moment. "I'm... alive? M-megumi," was all he muttered as he looked over at her, his voice weak. "You should thank me," she said, holding out her bloddy, burnt hands, "I saved your life." "But....why?" "Because...you're my friend," she said, unsure of why still. He tried to sit up, only to fall back in pain. "Damn that asshole," he said angry, "Pretending to be my captain but I should have known that he was dead!" Megumi was sitting there, still watching him. "Sano-" "What?" "I'm glad you're okay. I- ow!" she winced as she grabbed her arm. He just noticed how torched her kimono was. Her curved legs were visible and slightly burned.  
  
She held her arm for a second until pulling her hand away to reveal a small burn. She was burnt as much as he was. "What did you do?" he said noticing her body. "Well, by the time the water got there it would have been too late and-" "YOU RAN THROUGH THE FLAMES?!" he interrupted surprised. He grabbed her arm and pulled her over after managing to sit up. He looked her arm over. "Why the hell did you run through fire you stupid fox?" he said nonchalantly. "I didn't want you to die," she said blushing slightly. "But-" "It's no problem anyway. I'm going to fix myself up," she said as she stood and walked away. Sano looked out the window. He smiled slighty before lying back down and staring at the ceiling. "But why? Why did she risk her life to save me? She hates me and I hate her or maybe not. She wouldn't have saved me. She's my friend she said. That kitsune sure is hard to figure out," he said to himself, "but...I think I'm beginning to think differently of her." He sighed and closed his eyes as he put his hands behind his head.  
  
(See, I told you it was longer. It may be a bit out of character but I'm working on it. Stupid person pretending to be Captain Sagara. *mumbles* Anyway, please review. I need encouragment here. Hello? *fades into darkness*) 


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